ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Biomedical uses for hydrogels explored
• Designer droplets open new possibilities
• New insights into the early bombardment history on Mercury
• Radically better smarphones may be possible using system inspired by bird migration: Molecular chains hypersensitive to magnetic fields
• Variation between hot extrasolar planet atmospheres revealed
• Cosmic radio bursts point to cataclysmic origins
• Feeding galaxy caught in distant searchlight
• Scientists reveal structure of a supercooled liquid
• Solar prominences put on strange and beautiful show in the Sun's sky
• Mysterious radio flashes may be farewell greetings from massive stars collapsing into black holes
• Space weather forecast study turns table of effective predictions on its head
• Laser system allows determination of atomic binding energy of the rarest element on Earth
• Playing cricket: Physicists cast new light on spin-bowling

Biomedical uses for hydrogels explored Posted: 05 Jul 2013 06:22 PM PDT Scientists are researching hydrogel, the gelatinous substance that, because of its toughness and plasticity, has several biomedical applications, including cartilage repair, implants for minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery.

Designer droplets open new possibilities Posted: 05 Jul 2013 06:21 PM PDT By designing droplets using electricity, researchers have created a technique that could possibly be used for everything from extracting oil from wells to creating makeup and food.

New insights into the early bombardment history on Mercury Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:21 AM PDT Astronomers have studied the surface of Mercury to better understand if the plains were formed by volcanic flows or composed of material ejected from the planet's giant impact basins.

Radically better smarphones may be possible using system inspired by bird migration: Molecular chains hypersensitive to magnetic fields Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:20 AM PDT Researchers have for the first time created perfect one-dimensional molecular wires of which the electrical conductivity can almost entirely be suppressed by a weak magnetic field at room temperature. The underlying mechanism is possibly closely related to the biological compass used by some migratory birds. This spectacular discovery may lead to radically new magnetic field sensors, for smartphones for example.

Variation between hot extrasolar planet atmospheres revealed Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:20 AM PDT First results from the analysis of eight 'hot Jupiter' exoplanets suggest that winds and clouds play an important role in the atmospheric make up of these exotic planets.

Cosmic radio bursts point to cataclysmic origins Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:20 AM PDT Mysterious bursts of radio waves originating from billions of light years away have left the scientists who detected them speculating about their origins. The burst energetics indicate that they originate from an extreme astrophysical event involving relativistic objects such as neutron stars or black holes.

Feeding galaxy caught in distant searchlight Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:20 AM PDT Astronomers have spotted a distant galaxy hungrily snacking on nearby gas. Gas is seen to fall inwards towards the galaxy, creating a flow that both fuels star formation and drives the galaxy's rotation. This is the best direct observational evidence so far supporting the theory that galaxies pull in and devour nearby material in order to grow and form stars.

Scientists reveal structure of a supercooled liquid Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:17 AM PDT If a liquid metal alloy is cooled slowly it will eventually form a solid phase. Before it solidifies, however, the liquid undergoes a liquid-liquid transition to a phase in which it has the same concentration but a more strongly ordered structure. This structure has now been demonstrated for the first time by material scientists.

Solar prominences put on strange and beautiful show in the Sun's sky Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:16 AM PDT Cloud spotting seems to be growing in popularity as a hobby here on Earth. Now scientists studying the solar atmosphere are building their own collection of fascinating moving features that they've spotted in the Sun's sky.  The unusual solar prominences include a giant disc that rotates for several hours, feathery streamers as long as fifty Earths, a super-heated jet striking the top of a prominence and twisted ribbons flowing in opposite directions at a million kilometers per hour.

Mysterious radio flashes may be farewell greetings from massive stars collapsing into black holes Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:16 AM PDT Mysterious bright radio flashes that appear for only a brief moment on the sky and do not repeat could be the final farewell greetings of a massive star collapsing into a black hole, astronomers argue.

Space weather forecast study turns table of effective predictions on its head Posted: 05 Jul 2013 07:15 AM PDT A comparison of solar flare forecasting systems has turned the performance table of apparently effective prediction methods on its head.  Researchers have tested the reliability of seven techniques against their record of predicting flares and non-flare events correctly, as well as their history of missed flares and false alarms.  When the predictions were put into context of the Sun's activity levels over time, some of the most seemingly successful techniques slid down the table.

Laser system allows determination of atomic binding energy of the rarest element on Earth Posted: 04 Jul 2013 08:17 AM PDT The radioactive element astatine, the name of which is derived from the Greek word for 'instability,' is so rare on Earth that it has not yet been investigated to any greater extent and, as a consequence, very little is known about it. Using artificially generated astatine, a physicist has now managed for the first time to experimentally explore one of its fundamental parameters, the ionization potential, and thus determine one of the most important properties of the rare element.

Playing cricket: Physicists cast new light on spin-bowling Posted: 04 Jul 2013 06:49 AM PDT As the Ashes series gets underway next week, a pair of brothers from Australia have been exploring the physics behind the spin of a cricket ball. While physicists are much more accustomed to measuring the spin of electrons, protons and neutrons, physicists have now presented equations that govern the trajectory of a spinning ball as it moves through the air in the presence of a wind.

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